Peter Beinart
Rachel was visiting her sister at Columbia University early this year. A friend from high school, she made the effort to take the train to the downtown area and say hi to me. We ate Thai food then I had the lazy idea of strolling down Broadway, an attempt to substitute conversation with window shopping. As we made our way over from the Thai restaurant, we were frequently accosted (chased) by young Jewish boys, sporting the orthodox Payot. Fliers handy, Kippah conspicuous, they repeatedly asked my dear, Christian Rachel to join their movement. Walking down Broadway, poor Rachel was interrogated over and over again, “Are you Jewish, are you Jewish?”
After a good deal of soliciting, I remembered that I am Jewish. Well actually my grandfather is Jewish, which depending on how orthodox of a Jew you are, I might not qualify. But technically, it is ‘in my blood.’ And in retrospect, the harassing questions are actually discriminating. Honestly, it would be difficult to identify the ‘Jew’ in me considering I am half-Asian, and the features aren’t exactly hidden. Yet, for the 11 times Rachel and I were accosted, not once did the Payot and Kippah sporting gentlemen ask me, “Are you Jewish?”
I’ll admit. My knowledge of Judaism and the Jewish community does not rest on details. In fact, my interest primarily stems from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its timely relevance to international news. Amidst reports of the resuscitated Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, I decided to attend Peter Beinart’s public lecture at New York University’s Kimmel Center for University Life.
Last night, Beinart discussed his recent essay “The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment,” featured in The New York Review of Books. As the countdown begins for this Sunday’s moratorium lift on the West Bank settlements, Beinart’s words come as ominous insight. His perspective has provoked debate within the American-Jewish community. He himself admits that his family was not supportive of his perspective. He reported his mother’s words, “Peter, you know, it’s a good thing your grandmother doesn’t know how to blog.” Beinart essentially warns the American-Jewish Establishment (AJE) of “losing the interest of the younger generation of Jews” because of its out-dated mentality and ineffectiveness at approaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said that the AJE deals with the issue by “distancing us [American-Jews] from any sense of empathy of what it means to have essentially a group of mostly powerless people who don’t have control on apparatus of the state who controls their lives.” He repeatedly reiterated the AJE’s failure to create the Zionist who not only “loves Israel because he’s a Jew…but also because Israel is a democracy.” Beinart calls upon his community to promote a fight not only against external threats such as Hamas and Hezbollah, but also against internal threats, Lieberman a preferred reference.
When I first read Beinart’s essay, I had the prejudice impression that he was just another Zionist claiming that Jews must rally together in their fight to stem off another Holocaust. I was relieved when Beinart’s essay actually brought up Liberal Zionism and emphasized the values of Israel as a democracy more than just a Jewish state. Both during the lecture and his essay, Beinart cited statistics such as how “among orthodox Jews ages 18-30, 79% said they felt very close to the state of Israel” versus only 16% of non-orthodox Jews. In Israel, the statistics all point to blatant discrimination against Palestinians often promoted by individuals in the Israeli government. Beinart condemned this un-democratic side of Israel. He unfortunately predicted that it is this kind of orthodox Zionist, children of the AJE, who will inherit the American-Jewish movement, further alienating the 84% non-orthodox Jews.
A Liberal Zionist mentality demands Israeli compromise, which is consistently ignored as Holocaust analogies dominate rhetoric. Instead of “grappling” with the internal threats of Israel, the AJE and Israeli leadership transport the Jewish community back to 1938. The strategy worked for an older generation because they experienced Israel’s near annihilation during the ‘70s. Today, the strategy is obsolete. The Jewish youth do not see the same threats, if they even see any threats at all. Beinart refutes the recent claims that, “there’s nothing going in Israel that you should be concerned about. No serious challenge that those kids might have.” What Beinart fears the most, is the big shrug – that this majority of non-orthodox, Jewish youths ultimately convinces itself: “Not my problem anyway let them do what they want.”
What happens then? “A rebirth of anti-Zionism.”
Steven Cohen, quoted in Beinart’s essay, made a point during the Q&A portion of the discussion, which I believe ties Liberal Zionism to a potential Israeli-Palestinian solution. Cohen said, “You [Beinart] made your argument solely on moral grounds. I think, or not think, I know, the case of policies that you are making is a case that can be made on security grounds as well in addition to moral argument, because that will make Israel safer.”
Beinart’s advocacy for Liberal Zionism comes at a time where attitudes – religious, political, and social – need to be changed at the expense of a solution. Beinart made the point that it would not be the first time “we see Jews escape from oppression and then begin to degrade internally, morally.” Let’s remember what happened last time.
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Nice . . keep it up
I can’t think of anything negative to say about your piece. Great work!
I’m so ill in the “regime” attempting to manage our life. He’s got his hands in almost everything but are not able to deal with to come across his very own beginning certificates.